DENVER (Ticker) -- Reserve Chris Mills scored five of his 15
points in a fourth-quarter run as the Golden State Warriors
stayed in the postseason hunt with a 104-96 victory over the
Denver Nuggets.

Donyell Marshall scored 20 points off the bench and Jason Caffey
added 16 for the Warriors (16-21), who have won consecutive
games and are 1 1/2 games behind the Phoenix Suns (18-20) for
the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Mills and Marshall combined for eight points in a 14-2 run after
Denver had pulled within two early in the fourth quarter. The
win gave the Warriors a split of their six-game, 11-day road
trip.

"I thought our guys handled this 11-day road trip about as well
as you can handle a trip," said Warriors coach P.J. Carlesimo.
"We had so many guys play well and that's a big factor when
you're tired like we are and playing in altitude. That's a real
solid win and I feel good about the trip now."

Antonio McDyess scored 36 points and Chauncey Billups added 22
for the Nuggets, who received no points from guard Nick Van Exel
and forward Danny Fortson. Van Exel had averaged 30 points in
his last three games for Denver, which had a three-game home
winning streak snapped.

"This is kind of tough, especially when it seems like you are
not getting anything accomplished," said McDyess. "It didn't
surprise me, every time we play that coach (P.J. Carlesimo),
even when he was at Portland, he played me the same. I don't
think he respects my game at all."

Eric Williams hit two free throws 19 seconds into the fourth
quarter to pull within 78-76, but Mills drilled a jumper and hit
a 3-pointer to push Golden State's lead to seven. McDyess and
rookie Antawn Jamison traded baskets before Caffey hit a
seven-footer to give the Warriors an 87-78 advantage with 8:04
to go.

Muggsy Bogues followed with a 14-footer before Marshall capped
the run with a three-point play, extending Golden State's lead
to 92-78 with 5:51 remaining. The Nuggets came no closer than
seven thereafter.

"The big key was being able to stop them and that was more
important than us being tired," said Marshall. "As long as I
made my moves quick, I was able to get to the basket and get
some easy shots."

"Our bench really lit them up," said Caffey. "I had a good
third quarter and our starters played well. We didn't play good
'D' in the first half, but we focused more in the second and we
pulled out a victory."

Denver pulled into its last tie at 67-67 on a 17-footer by
McDyess with 5:28 left in the third quarter. But a 20-footer by
Jamison triggered an 8-1 burst that provided a 75-68 lead on
Mills' 20-footer with 2:28 to go.

Hounded by Bogues, Mills and John Starks, Van Exel had seven
assists but went 0-of-7 from the field for Denver, which shot 44
percent (31-of-70). McDyess was 16-of-23 from the field but the
rest of the team made only 15-of-47 (31.9 percent). Eric
Williams had 17 points off the bench for the Nuggets, who were
outscored 42-20 and allowed 23 second-chance points.

"We came out with no intensity, we were lackadaisical," said
Billups, who was 4-of-16 from the field but hit 11 free throws.
"I just hope that with this season being so strenuous that guys
don't get mentally fatigued. I'm not big on making excuses,
there are older teams in this league this happens to."

This was the first meeting between the teams in the shortened
season, and they will play each other three more times in the
next 12 days.